Harness.



PATENTED MAY 5, 1908-.

W. B. HILTON.

HARNESS.

APPLIoATloN FILED AUG. 26.1907.

@www0 W@ ...7

fnl: Nomus rzrxRs co., wAsmNaroN, n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. HILTON, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

HARNESS.

Application filed August 26, 1907.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. HILTON, a citizen of the United States,and residing' at At-lanta, Fulton county, Georgia, have invented certainnew and useful -Improvements in Harness, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to harness adapted to be used upon a team attachedto a vehicle provided with a tongue. As Ais well known, the end of thetongue is ordinarily connected to the collars of the animals by means ofa neck yoke and breast straps, and it is also common to have aconnection between the collars or breast straps, and the breechingaround the hind legs of the animals, so that the animals may guide thevehicle and may hold it back when going down hill. In this oldconstruction the strain on the horses is on the neck and hind legs.Constructions have also been proposed in which part of the strain is onthe animals back through the ordinary saddle.

The object of the presentl invention is to change the point at which thestrain is applied, and to provide means by which the principal strain inholding back is across the hips and Withers of the animals, and in whichthere is no strain on the neck or hind legs.

Another object of the invention is to provide means to shift a part ofthe strain in pulling the vehicle from the collar to the back of theanimal.

The invention consists in so constructing and arranging the straps ofthe harness that the main strain in holding back is about equallydivided between the hips and the Withers, and in which a part of thestrain in pulling is on the back.

It also consists in the details of construction hereinafter ointed out.

The drawing s ows my im roved harness in actual use upon the anima s,and while it shows only one side of the harness it is to. be understoodthat the parts on the other side of the animal are the same as thosewhich are seen.

In the drawing l represents the tongue of any article or machine towhich the animals are to be attached. This tongue has the ordinary neckyoke 2 attached to its end, and the harness is attached to this neckyoke by means of the rings 3. My harness includes the ordinary saddle 4,held in place by the strap 5 extending around the animal. On

y each side of the saddle 4 there is pivoted a Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented May 5, 1908.

Serial No. 390,220.

ring 6 to which is attached the straps 7, 8 and 9. The strap 7 extendsforwardly through a link 10 loosely connected to the haines 11, and isconnected at its forward end to the ring 3. The strap S extendsrearwardly and is connected by a snap hook 12 to the ordinary tracechain I3. The strap 9 also extends rearwardly and is connected to a ring14 at the forward end of the short back strap 15, which back strap is inturn connected to the crupper 16; Midway of the back strap and over thehips of the animal are connected the cross straps 1.7 which extend'around the animal on each side and are conmore that by reason of theangle of the straps v 7 and 9 very little strain will be placed upon theforward part of the animals body, and

that most of it will, through straps 9 and 17, be upon the hips andwithers. The straps 8 being connected to the trace chains will take uppart of the strain in pulling the vehicle forward, and will thus relieveto a certain extent the strain upon the collar.

It will be noted that the stra s 7 extend in such position across theshoul er ofthe ani mal that he can easily guide the vehicle by pressingthe strap sidewise by means of his shoulder, and thus the twistingaction upon his neck which follows from breast straps attached to thecollar is avoided. By the use of my invention the neck and legs of theanimal are perfectly free from the strains due to guiding and holdingback the vehicle and those strains are placed upon the strongestportions of the animal.

Vhat I claim is:

I. In a harness, the combination with al strap, cross straps attached tothe back strap near the crupper and adapted to extend around the horseon opposite sides, and a longitudinal strap adapted to lie beneath theanimal and to be connected at its forward end to the neck yoke and atits rear to theV ends of -the cross straps.

2. In a harness, the combination with a saddle, of a strap attached toeach side thereof extending forwardly and adapted to be connected to theneck yoke, a second strap attached to each side of said saddle andextending rearwardly, a short back strap attached to the crupper, thesaid rearwardly extending strap being attached to this back strap, and athird strap attached to each side Vof the saddle and adapted to extendrear- WILLIAM B. HILTON.

I/Vitnesses:

MONTFORT J. BRADLEY, II. J, SrMoN'roN.

